A few years ago I was invited to visit Clarke County to speak to a group there and to be truthful, I don’t remember the exact location, but I do clearly remember one elderly gentleman.

Elderly is to put it mildly. This sweet man had to have been 90-plus, but his eyes shown with clear attention and exact vision as he stood to the side of the room, assisted by his granddaughter.

The attendees were soon to be Quitman High School graduates and the gathering was to honor them.

I do remember a very nice table of delicious cakes and cookies, plus punch and as well several ladies busying around to make certain the event was especially nice for all who were there. But my memory returns to the gentleman.

After I presented my program, he made his way to speak to me. I was immediately made aware by the delight clearly displayed upon his face and his granddaughter’s face as well that this was a big moment.

As he approached me, I saw tucked under his arm a large notebook, more precisely, a scrapbook. With the help of his granddaughter, he opened the neatly arranged book to display all of my newspaper columns. Yes, all of them, from my first one in August 2005.

He proudly pointed to each one as he explained they were organized according to subject: History, Southern Humor, Religion, Political, Culinary, Ole Times, Music, Living in the South, the Arts, Mississippi, Family-Life and on and on.

I was shocked and happy at the same time. In my mind’s eye I pictured this lovely gentleman seated at his kitchen table each Friday patiently gluing my column to its proper place in his scrapbook and I realized how very important my words were to him. It was a very humbling experience.

I remember eyeing his Political Section carefully, thinking that I had not written about politics, but there they were. One he had especially marked “The Great Presidential Debate of Armadillo County” dated Sept. 9, 2016.

The gentleman said he especially enjoyed my takeoff on the two candidates: “Miss Sillary and Mr. Rump,” below is an excerpt:

So now it was time for the big Armadillo County Presidential Debate. For weeks, Miss Sillary had emailed flowery messages to Sonny. Big Momma was convinced the ole gal, ah Miss Sillary, had a crush on her baby boy. After all he was a good catch – has all of his teeth, a head full of hair and nine of his toes. The women-folk flock after him like crazy and more than once, Sonny had been mistaken for Mr. Rump. That’s right.

But things around Armadillo County were fix’en to heat-up big time. Big Momma had booked the “Where the Sun Don’t Shine Skating Rink.” She decorated it all nice-like with an almost real looking moon and stars, which hung all across the ceiling. Big Momma liked the calming effect the starry sky look-alike made all around the rink, but it would take more than a calm night sky to referee this throw-down. Uh-huh.

Mr. Rump skedaddled into town via his fav pulpwood truck – thought he could blend in with the locals and he did! And Miss Sillary, not to be outdone, hitch-hiked from Memphis – showing her thrifty/nifty and maybe, even her drifty side. The two arrived just as Big Momma dropped the last strips of paper into the official goldfish bowl. Each strip of paper represented an intelligent but not too smart question directed at the two rivals.

So today I thank the gentleman from Clarke County and I hope he is still reading and gluing.

Anne B. McKee is a Mississippi historian, writer and storyteller. She is listed on the Mississippi Humanities Speakers Bureau and Mississippi Arts Commission’s Performing Artist and Teaching Artist Rosters. See her web site: www.annemckeestoryteller.com